Farooq Abdullah, Gopalkrishna Gandhi Emerge As Opposition Candidates For Presidential Race

Earlier in the day, a crucial meeting of opposition parties was convened by Mamata Banerjee to build consensus on fielding a joint candidate against the NDA in the presidential election with leaders of at least 17 parties in attendance.

New Delhi: Nationalist Congress Party leader Sharad Pawar on Wednesday declined the offer to contest for Presidential elections 2022. He made it clear during the crucial meeting of opposition parties convened by Mamata Banerjee to build consensus on fielding a joint candidate against the NDA.

On why he refused to run for the Presidential race, Sharad Pawar said he ‘still has an active political innings’ yet.

Mamata Banerjee had proposed Sharad Pawar’s name for President at the meeting, but he declined, saying “he still has active political innings to play”.

Soon after Pawar declined the offer, Mamata Banerjee proposed the names of Farooq Abdullah, Gopalkrishna Gandhi as the presidential candidates from the Opposition.

Mamata Banerjee suggested names of Farooq Abdullah, Gopalkrishna Gandhi as oppn candidates for presidential poll:RSP's NK Premchandran

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) June 15, 2022

On being asked about the presidential election race, Gopalkrishna Gandhi told news agency PTI, “It is too premature to comment on it.”

The presidential election is slated to take place on July 18.

Delhi | Leaders of 17 parties- TMC, Congress, CPI, CPI(M), CPIML, RSP, Shiv Sena, NCP, RJD, SP, National Conference, PDP, JD(S), DMK, RLD, IUML and JMM – are participating in the Opposition leaders' meeting called by Mamata Banerjee ahead of Presidential election. pic.twitter.com/gSuvbE5ukz

— ANI (@ANI) June 15, 2022

At present, the ruling NDA has about half the votes of the electoral college, and the possible support of fence-sitters like the BJD, AIADMK and YSRCP, the NDA candidate will likely sail through the contest.

Earlier in the day, a crucial meeting of opposition parties was convened by Mamata Banerjee to build consensus on fielding a joint candidate against the NDA in the presidential election with leaders of at least 17 parties in attendance.

Leaders of the Congress, Samajwadi Party, NCP, DMK, RJD and the Left parties attended the meeting called by the Trinamool Congress supremo, while the AAP, Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) and Odisha’s ruling BJD skipped it.

Leaders of Shiv Sena, CPI, CPI(M), CPI(ML), National Conference, PDP, JD(S), RSP, IUML, RLD and the JMM attended the meeting, which took place on a day the nomination for the presidential election began.

Sharad Pawar and Praful Patel of the NCP, Mallikarjun Kharge, Jairam Ramesh and Randeep Surjewala of the Congress, H D Deve Gowda and H D Kumaraswamy of the JD(S), Akhilesh Yadav of the SP, Mehbooba Mufti of the PDP, Omar Abdullah of the National Conference were among the prominent leaders in the meeting.

Notably, Mamata Banerjee had last week invited leaders of 19 political parties, including seven chief ministers, for a meeting in the national capital to produce a confluence of opposition voices for the election on July 18.